Infused Bruschetta!
Everyone knows this Italian classic, but now its got the modern twist-
Cannabis!
With infusions coming from everything edible to topical, cannabis can be combined with almost anything, but as always with food, its all about the right ingredients and harmonious marriage of flavors.
Typically, Bruschetta is crispy bread that is garlic rubbed, liberally covered with olive oil, and sometimes topped with fresh chopped tomatoes. Although it may sound elementary, and often gets over looked, great Bruschetta can be the simple meal that fills you up and leaves you surprisingly satisfied.
Historically, Bruschetta was probably a peasant food, used to salvage day old or stale bread by grilling it on a fire or inside an oven, after brushing it with garlic cloves and olive oil. Some accounts talk of this being a way to taste the new batch of olive oil, to make sure the crop was good.
Farmers, would take olives from their trees and get them pressed to check the taste, all onto a piece of stale bread. From there, it took a life of its own, being recreated by regions, each adding its own flare or ingredient, native to that state.
So the basics of making bruschetta go like this:
PREP FIRST
You will need to prepare some of your ingredients first, so when it’s time to use, they are ready to go.
A note for all chefs: Italians are known for their cuisine, and although they have some dishes that use simple fixings, what makes them extraordinary is the freshness of the ingredients. Organic, from your local Farmers Market, or whatever is in season at your local store is usually your best bet!
- Cut tomatoes in half. Slice each half into long pieces, then chop those into small squares.
- Season the tomatoes with some good salt, like Himalayan Pink, if you can. I used a bit of pepper too, sometimes people chop up fresh basil leaves or add oregano.
- Cut the garlic cloves in half, one half per side of each piece of bread.
- Slice bread; usually even better if it is day old, but if not, you can slice it (I used rolls or french bread, usually) and let it sit out a bit before you start to prepare the meal.
STEP 1
Toast the bread; very important step, don’t walk away. If you don’t have a toaster, I just put mine in a pan that I had heated to a little above MEDIUM. Flip the bread and get it evenly toasted, crunchy on the outside but still chewy in the middle.
STEP 2
Rub the HOT pieces of bread with the garlic cloves. Half a clove per side, you can use the cut, flat part to brush, or rub, and will start to see golden marks on the bread, those are the garlic juices, yum!
STEP 3
Drizzle the bread (liberally) with olive oil. They say to buy whatever is the most expensive that you can afford, but I just recommend you get something that is Extra Virgin and preferably from Italy (I have even seen pasta like gnocchi imported from Italy, sold at the Dollar Store), sometimes you can find it on sale at your grocery or even for cheap at Marshalls or Ross.
STEP 4
Top the pieces of bread with a spoonful of the tomato mixture.
STEP 5
Drizzle the Craft Elixir Verdita Dragon syrup onto each piece of bread!
Craft Elixir Verdita Dragon: Pineapple Lime Jalapeno. I love this flavor, as it’s sweet with a bit of a kick and zest. My favorite recipe to make with this are blended Margaritas, but I will save that for another recipe blog!
WOW! All I can say after my first bite.
What did I taste first? Without a doubt, GARLIC! I know, shocking, as when I rubbed the pieces of bread, I thought, “what a stupid step, this isn’t going to work…” although, the smell of the garlic was phenomenal..
Second flavor: the sweet, tangy and rich taste of the pineapples, followed by a bit more of a garlic kick, fresh tomatoes and salt. There is the jalapeño bite, in the middle there, but preceded by the pineapple, and with the addition of the salt and lime, it opens up quick on the palate and just as fast, fades from taste. Not too spicy at all, for those a bit apprehensive at the thought of a tiny chili pepper in their meal.
Well, I have to say that I am impressed! Toasting the bread to that ideal outside crunchyness, but keeping the slices of medium size, allowed the inside to stay soft, it was a very important step to take seriously. But really, make sure you watch the bread, be patient, its so worth it.
The sweet flavored Craft Elixir syrup playing alongside the fresh tomatoes, the salt, and the moisture and flavor of the olive oil, it truly is a symphony inside my mouth. Two thumbs up, if I could give them up from stuffing the pieces of bruschetta into my mouth.
There is an Italian Proverb:
“Day-old bread, month-old oil, year-old wine.”
Bon Appetit!
Written By: Masha Brown
*Authors note* The recipe calls to mix the Verdita Dragon syrup with some olive oil, but if your tomatoes are very fresh and juicy, I feel that the oil on bread and moisture from the tomatoes is enough wetness to keep some crunch on your bread, so the consistency of your product can hold longer and you can savor every bite!
See what works for you!
RECIPE FROM CRAFT ELIXIR
– Bruschetta
– 1-2 Tbsp oil
– 1-2 Tbsp syrup
– sea salt
“Make a plate of Bruschetta using your favorite recipe. Mix together 1-2 Tbsp of your favorite oil & 1 Tbsp of Verdita Dragon syrup. Drizzle oil & syrup mixture on finished Bruschetta. Finish with large grain sea salt for a burst of flavor.”
Find more recipes on the Craft Elixir Website!
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